Manasa Nayak, PhD, research assistant professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, was selected as one of four finalists to compete for a prestigious award for early career researchers. Nayak presented his work at November’s meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA), the world’s biggest cardiovascular conference of the year. Attendees, including representatives from University of Iowa Health Care, were there to network, learn from each other, and present their own scholarly work in Scientific Sessions.

Nayak had submitted his team’s research and his own biosketch for consideration for the Elaine W. Raines Early Career Investigator Award, which honors junior researchers performing high quality research in arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology (ATVB).

From that slew of applications, Nayak was selected by the AHA’s Council on ATVB to compete for the award with an oral presentation. The title of his talk was “Metabolomics Reveals Aerobic Glycolysis and 1-Carbon Metabolism as Major Metabolic Signature During Human Platelet Activation.” Nayak had previously received a postdoctoral grant and currently holds a Career Development Award (CDA) from the AHA.

Read more about Nayak’s current CDA here.

The center of Nayak’s presentation was based on the understanding that platelet activation could be linked to One-carbon (1C) metabolism, a set of biochemical pathways that involve transfer and use of 1C units from amino acids, for cellular processes, including nucleotide and lysophospholipid synthesis. In alignment, based on pathway enrichment and network-based prioritization, the metabolites from amino acid metabolism, including serine, glutamate, and branched-chain amino acids pathway were upregulated in activated platelets, which might be supplemented by the high levels of glycolytic intermediates.

Nayak received a plaque and honorarium to commemorate his achievement. The abstract has been published in Circulation, and the full manuscript has been accepted in ATVB for publication.

After the event Nayak wrote, “I am really honored to receive the Elaine W. Raines Early Career Investigator Award as a Finalist in ATVB Business Luncheon at #AHA23. I am really thankful to @ATVBEarlyCareer and @AHA_Research.”

He later added, “I want to thank my mentor, Dr. Anil Chauhan, for his continuous support, encouragement, and suggestions to make a transition to be an independent researcher.” Nayak also recognized his team members’ contributions. “I am also thankful to Madan Kumar Ghatge, the joint first author, and Gagan Flora, the co-author of the study,” Nayak said.

In addition to his research team, he pays tribute to his wife, Jayashree, his aunt, his parents, and all his family members for their continued support.